WASHINGTON POST - Dating apps can offer convenience and access to potential partners, but therapists note they may also contribute to emotional fatigue, addictive behavior, and decreased self-esteem when used excessively or for validation. Common issues include swiping-based objectification, mismatched expectations, and dopamine-driven engagement patterns. However, apps can be beneficial for those who prefer controlled environments or have difficulty with in-person dating. Experts recommend limiting app use to once a day, being clear about personal goals, seeking partners with aligned intentions, and avoiding dependence on external approval. Methods like the "Burned Haystack" approach, setting specific criteria and filtering out mismatches, can help users engage with dating apps more effectively and protect their mental well-being.
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The Psychological Impact of Dating Apps
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Priest Sues Grindr After Being Outed
WASHINGTON POST - Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, former top administrator of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, has sued Grindr for failing to protect his data, leading to his outing and resignation in 2021. Burrill claims Grindr did not inform users that their data could be accessed by vendors, which led to his personal information being exposed by a Catholic media site. The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court, seeks damages and an order to prevent Grindr from releasing user data without notice. Grindr has denied the allegations, stating they are mischaracterizations of their data practices.
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Speed Dating Makes a Comeback Amid Dating App Fatigue
WASHINGTON POST - Speed dating is making a comeback as dating app fatigue prompts singles to seek face-to-face connections. In San Francisco, participants embrace the analog approach, finding events through flyers and paying for in-person encounters. With concerns about dating app scams and addictive features, individuals are drawn to the authenticity of speed dating. Despite challenges like talking to strangers and facing rejection, the allure of genuine connections outweighs the risks. While the transition from apps to in-person encounters may be awkward, many find it a refreshing change of pace.
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Mixing Dating Apps and Travel Can Be Dangerous
WASHINGTON POST - Using dating apps while traveling poses risks, highlighted by U.S. Embassy warnings in places like Colombia. Travelers adopt safety measures such as double dating and public meetups. To counteract these dangers, dating apps have introduced safety features like profile verification and in-app warnings. Tinder and Grindr issue alerts in high-risk regions. Users are advised to verify dates' identities, share locations, meet in public, and follow local travel advisories, leveraging app safety tools and precautions to mitigate risks.
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Online Dating Is Very Good for Society
WASHINGTON POST - Online dating encourages diverse relationships, with couples who meet online more likely to be interracial. This has led to greater societal acceptance of interracial marriage, reaching 94% in 2021. While people may still prefer similar backgrounds, online dating opens doors to more diverse connections. A review of data provided to me by Coffee Meets Bagel shows that across all races and ethnicities, people are more likely to "like" profiles of potential partners of their own ethnic and racial backgrounds. Online dating only opens the door. People need to walk through it.
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Making Friends on Apps Doesn't Need to Be Weird
WASHINGTON POST - Lonely American adults, especially the younger generation, are increasingly turning to apps to make friends, overcoming the stigma associated with seeking platonic relationships online. Platforms such as Discord, Reddit, Bumble, and Meetup have become hubs for individuals seeking companionship. While online dating has been normalized, actively seeking friends online is still considered somewhat taboo. Some participants noted that making friends as an adult requires effort, vulnerability, and a willingness to face social fears.
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Automated Dating: the Rise of AI Tools for Romance
WASHINGTON POST - Several start-ups are using AI to optimize and automate online dating with tools like Rizz, YourMove.ai, and Keys AI. These tools help users with everything from creating opening lines to generating responses to messages. AI dating tools can help people with social anxiety, difficulties reading social cues, and help users stand out on dating apps. The lack of personalization is a significant challenge, but founders of these start-ups believe that as AI technology improves, these tools will become more authentic and tailored to a user's personality.
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Two Sisters Created a Dating App for People With Disabilities
WASHINGTONPOST - Jacqueline and Alexa Child are launching Dateability, a dating app designed for disabled and chronically ill people. It carries the slogan "Making love accessible." "People with disabilities (PWD) are often discriminated against by other users on dating platforms, and not seen as potential partners." Jacqueline, who suffers from a connective-tissue disorder, had one bad encounter after another with potential dates. Then late last year, she decided to get surgery that would leave her with a feeding tube, making it so that she could no longer eat dinner out. She worried about what that might do to her dating life. That's when they came up with the idea for the app. Alexa described it as a way for them to "take the power and control back."
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Dating Apps Are Using Images From the Siege to Ban Rioters' Accounts
WASHINGTON POST - Jan 18 - Bumble, Tinder and others are freezing out rioters with help from law enforcement and, in some cases, their own photos. Other app users have taken matters into their own hands by striking up conversations with potential rioters and relaying their information to the FBI. Some onlookers have celebrated the viral hunt as a creative form of digital comeuppance. But some privacy advocates said the episode reveals a worrying truth about pervasive public surveillance and the opaque connections between private companies and law enforcement. Both Bumble and Match Group said they were working to remove users known to be involved in the Capitol siege from their platforms.
by Drew Harwell, Lisa Bonos & Craig Timberg
See full article at Washington Post
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AI Companies Offer Fake Profiles
WASHINGTON POST - Jan 7 - AI start-ups are selling images of computer-generated faces that look like the real thing, offering companies a chance to create imaginary models and "increase diversity" in their ads without needing human beings. One firm has already signed up clients, including a dating app that intends to use the images in a chatbot. The AI software used to create such faces is freely available and improving rapidly, allowing small start-ups to easily create fakes that are so convincing they can fool the human eye. The systems train on massive databases of actual faces, then attempt to replicate their features in new designs. But AI experts worry that the fakes will empower a new generation of scammers.
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Personals Instagram Account Became Wildly Popular for Its Queer Personal Ads
WASHINGTON POST - Dec 27 - After starting in 2017, Personals Instagram page became a hugely popular place for people to meet a partner or to make a friend, attracting 60K followers. Last month, founder Kelly Rakowski took the next step of turning it into its own app, Lex, creating a rare queer-centric platform for romance and friendship. Lex was financed by a Kickstarter campaign that raised $50K. The profiles look similar to those on Personals - minimalist, no photos - but users can message privately and set geographic boundaries.
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There's an Exclusive Dating Site for the University of Maryland
WASHINGTON POST - Dec 17 - University of Maryland senior Brandon Ferrell offered his peers a free dating site called TerpMatch. Students register with a university email address, type the name of thier crush and wait. Unlike most dating services, TerpMatch does not have messaging capabilities, photos or bios. But all matches must be made by this week. Ferrell said he will close the site on the last day of the semester. He said he built TerpMatch from scratch in about six hours. He launched the site the weekend after Thanksgiving and watched ~900 students sign up the first few days. Now, ~6K students are trying to match with their classmates.
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MeetMe to Improve Its Screening for Sex Offenders
WASHINGTON POST - Dec 13 - MeetMe says it checks users to ensure they aren't convicted sex offenders by comparing the names they provide to MeetMe with online databases that list registered sex offenders. But the company has been the subject of lawsuits for allegedly enabling sexual predators to target minors. The Meet Group spokeswoman Brandyn Bissinger said they used different last names in their profile, and that is why they didn't show up in sex offender registries. "Our number one priority is providing a safe environment for our ~15M monthly users to connect and interact," Bissinger said. "We are an industry leader in promoting safety standards and are continuously working to advance our efforts." MeetMe said it will go beyond a person's username to check for sexual offenses. For instance, it will now check names on banking records when it pays streamers and check whether the names in email addresses conflict with the names users provide the company when accounts are created.
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Grindr Is Falling Out of Favor
WASHINGTON POST - May 20 - Grindr has received backlash for one blunder after another. The Kunlun Group's buyout of Grindr raised alarm among intelligence experts that the Chinese government might be able to gain access to the Grindr profiles of American users. The app faced scrutiny after reports indicated the app had a security issue that could expose users' precise locations and their HIV status. Also, Scott Chen, the app's straight-identified president, may not fully support marriage equality. "It still feels like an app from 2009," says Brooks Robinson, a 27-year-old marketing professional in Washington." Robinson now prefers meeting people on Scruff. In the past several years, Grindr users have widely reported that spambots and spoofed accounts run rampant. "Grindr made stalking someone a little too easy," says Dave Sarrafian, a 33-year-old artist and barista in LA.
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More Than Half of Young People in America Don't Have a Romantic Partner
WASHINGTON POST - Mar 21 - Just over half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 (51%) said they do not have a steady romantic partner, according to data from the General Social Survey released this week. That 2018 figure is up significantly from 33% in 2004 - the lowest figure since the question was first asked in 1986 and up from 45% in 2016. Women are having fewer children, and they're having them later in life. The median age of first marriage is increasing. And according to a 2017 report from the Pew Research Center, among those who have never married but are open to it, most say a major reason is because they haven't found the right person.
by Lisa Bonos & Emily Guskin
See full article at Washington Post
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